CAREER READINESS GOALS

By: Carmen Willingsteachingvisuallyimpaired.comNovember 7, 2015

The following career readiness goals and objectives will provide a starting point of possible goals and objectives for the student who is blind or visually impaired. Remember these are just a starting point. It is important to make them "SMART" by individualizing them to each student's unique needs.

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​The student will develop an UNDERSTANDING OF BEING A NON-DRIVER.Objectives:

The student will describe the functional implications of their visual impairments for travel.

The student will identify social aspects of being a non-driver experienced by adult non-drivers.

The student will describe their visual needs to others during travel.

The student will identify reasons why persons with and without disabilities do not drive.

The student will share (to the extent to which they are comfortable) experiences and feelings associated with being told they cannot obtain a driver's license.

The student will identify potential personal reaction to non-driving that affect decisions concerning levels of independence and activity.

The student will describe the sequence of independent travel for sighted children and adolescents.

The student will describe different rites of passage for adolescents in technologically oriented societies and how they participate in these rites of passage.

The student will ACCESS TRANSPORTATIONObjectives:

The student will identify destinations where they believe they are capable of traveling and share this information with families.

The student will discuss how non-drivers access transportation and how these methods influence their lifestyles.

The student will describe how non-drivers with different lifestyles structure their lives to access transportation.

The student will demonstrate skills in hiring, scheduling, directing, and firing a driver.

The student will identify the advantages and disadvantages of personal methods of travel.

The student will solicit information from businesses and other individuals regarding the location of businesses, activities, and so on.

The student will describe considerations for non-drivers using personal methods of travel.

The student will identify the advantages and disadvantages of public methods of travel.

The student will solicit information from public transit operators regarding transportation scheduling, costs, routes, and so forth.

The student will describe considerations for non-drivers using specialized methods of travel.

The student will demonstrate skills in asking for and declining rides.

The student will identify the advantages and disadvantages of hired methods of travel.

The student will solicit information from operators and drivers regarding transportation scheduling, costs, routes and so on.

The student will gather information on LOW VISION AND BIOPTIC DRIVINGObjectives:

The student will determine whether they meet the unaided and aided visual requirements of their state (or a state in which low vision driving is permitted) to pursue driving with low vision.

The student will have knowledge of the clinical low vision evaluation that is needed to determine whether they will meet the aided visual requirements of their state (or a state in which low vision driving is permitted) to pursue driving with low vision.

The student will have knowledge of a variety of bioptic telescopic systems and how they are used in the process of low vision driving.

The student will understand some of the differences between driving with low vision and driving with typical vision.

The student will understand some of the legal and self-imposed restrictions in driving experienced by low vision drivers.

The student will gather information on BUDGETING FOR TRANSPORTATION.Objectives:

The student will list various sources of funding for transportation, including optional reduced fare programs for those with disabilities.

The student will list several tasks that may be offered in exchange for rides.

The student will establish a weekly and monthly transportation budget.

The student will evaluate which forms of transportation are most appropriate to purchase in order to meet current and future needs.

5. The student will create and follow ROUTES AND DIRECTIONSObjectives:

The student will use different resources to plan a route.

The student will create a set of directions for personal use.

The student will create a set of directions to share with others.

The student will calculate the time, distance, and cost for short and long distance trips.

The student will demonstrate PROBLEM SOLVING as it relates to travel.Objectives:

The student will list several activities that may be done while waiting for late rides in different environments.

The student will be assertive and solve problems concerning transportation schedules for arriving at or leaving a destination.

The student will identify personal challenges and frustrations associated with non-driving experience by adult non-drivers.

The student will provide a list of ways to reduce the frustrations associated with non-driving.

The student will identify social aspects of being a non-driver experienced by adult non-drivers.

The student will provide a list of ways to reduce the frustrations associated with non-driving.

The student will complete a self-evaluation to determine what skills they still must develop to maximize independent travel.

The student will describe acceptable public behaviors while a passenger in transit.

The student will demonstrate understanding of RULES FOR JOBS and PAYMENT FOR SERVICE.Objectives:

The student will list the jobs for which they receive an allowance.

The student will explain the rules related to earning their allowance.

The student will participate in establishing a short list of three to seven rules that are developmentally appropriate, such as, "listen to others," and "keep hands to yourselves."

The student will review and discuss the purpose of the rules.

The student will discuss a problem and identify possible solutions, for example, "What could we do if two children want to ride the same tricycle?"

The student will follow a direction that involves a time delay in the performance of a task, for example, telling them to wash their hands after recess.

The student will pick up toys and return them to the shelf before beginning anew activity __ times in one day.

The student will hang up their jackets.

The student will participate in a volunteer project, either for a single student or for a group such as: hold a car wash and give proceeds to a charity; help at a local charity's office (for example, answer phones, collate materials, and stuff envelopes); make solicitation calls for a school fund drive; collect magazines to donate to fire stations, senior citizens' centers, or shelters for homeless people; shop for groceries for people who are housebound.

The student will introduce children to various types of work done in and around the home and gradually shape their ability to perform the work well and in a timely way.

The student will determine his skills and evaluate the potential marketability of the skills and introduce the concept of selling one's services to family members and neighbors - that there are some tasks that adults occasionally are willing to pay children to perform for them.

The student will ask the parents or other family members to set up jobs for their children with friendly neighbors in advance and have the students "sell" their services and role-play their marketing pitch at school and at home.

The student will ask his employer for letters of reference for use when searching for additional work for work has been commendable.

the student will create a list of tangible rewards in appropriate media and post them in easily accessible locations.

The student will demonstrate AWARENESS OF JOBS.Objectives:

The student will discuss with others about how adults and teenagers learn about the jobs they hold.

The student will ask questions of workers whom they encounter during a specified period about the ways they found their jobs and write down (using print or a slate and stylus) or record the responses, along with information about the general ages and genders of the workers and the types of jobs they have.

The student will discuss the categories of the worker responses and discover any patterns.

The student will, when he has performed household tasks, such as making beds, cooking, weeding the garden, preparing salads, ironing shirts, mopping floors, and washing cars, make arrangements for field trips to work sites where these tasks are expected of employees.

The student will shadow workers with jobs having household tasks while they work, and perhaps even try the tasks in the work situations.

The student will describe the workers they have met and to explain the relationships between the chores they perform at home and the duties of these workers.

The student will consider whether there are particular jobs they would like to have and why they would like to have them.

The student will observe the work duties of employees for one hour with an explanation of the job duties required in the entire office, not just for one job. Then the student will come up with adaptive devices or tasks that could be done by people who are blind or have low vision.

The student will complete trips to job-shadowing sites.

The student will discuss how people find jobs.

The student will gain access to help-wanted ads in newspapers and obtain applications from businesses that have help-wanted signs.

The student will PRACTICE SKILLS LEARNED on job sites.Objectives:

The student will role play or create a drama describing the jobs they have observed and any interactions the employees might have had with customers, superiors, and coworkers.

The student will measure and record an activity that the student has mastered, such as collating and stapling papers, alphabetizing student work, or erasing the chalkboards.

The student will establish a goal for personal improvement on a mastered activity.

The student will discuss the importance of working quickly, or at a pace that approximates the speed at which others perform the same tasks, and identify (using the process that was described at the beginning of this section) strategies for increasing their working rates.

The student will ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN IEP PROCESS.Objectives:

The student will participate meaningfully in his own IEP meetings by making a list of their strengths, collecting supporting documents, and identifying at least one area in which they would like to improve during the forthcoming year.

The student will read or orally present this information to the members of the IEP team at the start of the discussion of the current level of performance.

The student will sign the final documents of the IEP as a participant.

The student will track progress on own IEP objectives using media necessary.

The student will keep a journal describing their results and their feelings when they reach a goal, get "stuck" at a plateau, or backslide.

11. The student will demonstrate understanding of WANTS VS. NEEDS.Objectives:

The student will describe scenarios in which the main character, visually impaired or sighted, adult or child, faces a problem and have them give advice to that character.

The student will interview parents, teachers, and other adults regarding the luxuries and necessities in their lives.

The student will discuss the definition of the terms necessity and luxury.